'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Every fighter has their strong suits. They also have their weaknesses. For a long time Joanna Jedrzejczyk was the boogey woman of the UFC strawweight division. Her mental warfare beat you before you got in the cage with her. Then the flurries she threw finished the job, until the stoic Rose Namajunas got her crack.
Now that the 115 pound strap sits around the waist of the Hebei China native, Weili Zhang; it'll be hard to take it off of her. "Magnum" is incredibly well rounded. Her standup is fierce as she throws punches in bunches, and they all have mean intentions behind them. Put her on the mat, and while she's not the most dangerous woman down there, she can more than handle herself.
The soon to be 31-year-old only tasted defeat in her professional debut back in 2013. Since then it's been 21 straight wins, the last 5 in the UFC. Here she's alternated decisions with 1st round finishes.
So who gives Weili Zhang her the toughest fight?
Well, Weili Zhang's first real war was recently with Joanna. But the important rematch this weekend at UFC 251 between Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade will most likely set up her next challenge. Zhang, Rose, and Jessica are all old school mind set martial artists. So there won't be any trash talk in the lead up. While the winner gets Weili Zhang, the loser most likely gets Jedrzejczyk.
Rose with Trevor Wittman is better than she's ever been. He's been able to harness her boxing and grappling. Andrade is a 115 pound pitbull. She's a smaller version of Amanda Nunes in her attacks. Her win over "Thug" Rose happened due to a technical mistake by Namajunas. Rose handled Joanna's flurries for almost 6 full rounds. Weili Zhang's flurries will come at her harder.
Jessica, is a homerun hitter. Win or lose she doesn't like going to the judges scorecards. In 27 fights she's gone the distance only 8 times. Andrade after all that's said and done, might be the best match up. And provide even more highlights than Joanna did. In part because she's better on the ground than Joanna is.
Tatiana Suarez one day may be there but she's still too far away. Although on any given day anyone can win or lose. Will Weili Zhang step back into the octagon with Joanna? Sure. And it'll probably be just as explosive. But for right now, Jessica has the best shot at slapping Weili with her 2nd career loss.
In the pantheon of UFC women fighters, Ronda, Cyborg, and Amanda have locked up their legendary status. Valentina Shevchenko is just as deadly and is finely tuned, but keep your eyes on this Chinese import. She may by the time it's all done be the best of them all.
